Aircraft Droppable-Load Rack With Modular Sliding Drawers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage racks for aircraft droppable loads have a large footprint, significant mass due to welding, and lack inventory management, making them unsuitable for evolving mission constraints and military needs.
Innovation Solution
A storage rack with modular compartments and drawers that allow for easy loading and unloading of droppable cargo, featuring a detection system to track inventory and adaptable configurations for different aircraft layouts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional welded storage racks are used, then structural strength is ensured, but the mass becomes significant
Solution Approach 1:
The storage rack is divided into multiple independent storage modules, each comprising a compartment and a drawer. These modular units can be independently manufactured and assembled, replacing traditional welded construction. The segmentation allows for lighter materials and reduced overall mass while maintaining structural integrity through modular connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The drawer is designed to be movable relative to the compartment, transitioning between retracted and extended positions. This dynamic element replaces static welded structures with movable components, reducing the need for heavy reinforcement while ensuring structural strength is maintained only where necessary.
2Quantity of substance
If storage racks are designed with large footprint, then storage capacity is increased, but the area occupied in aircraft cabin increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing elongation direction is oriented at an angle (45°-135°) relative to the transverse direction, utilizing three-dimensional space more efficiently. This angular orientation allows the drawer to extend diagonally, maximizing storage capacity within the constrained cabin footprint by exploiting the vertical and longitudinal dimensions rather than only the transverse dimension.
Solution Approach 2:
The drawer is nested within the compartment in the retracted position, and only extends partially when in use. This nesting arrangement allows the storage system to maintain a compact footprint while providing adequate storage capacity, as the drawer occupies the same space as the compartment when not in use.
3Ease of operation
If drawers are made accessible from all sides, then handling ease is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drawer is designed with asymmetric accessibility: one side features an access flank for loading and unloading operations, while the opposite side includes a barrier preventing access. This asymmetric configuration simplifies the device by providing a single access point rather than requiring complex mechanisms for multi-sided access, while still maintaining ease of operation for the intended handling side.
4Loss of information
If detection systems are added to track inventory, then information completeness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detection sensor automatically detects the presence or absence of droppable loads in each housing and provides this information to the processing unit without requiring manual intervention. The system serves itself by autonomously tracking inventory status, reducing the need for complex manual tracking mechanisms while improving information completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection system provides feedback to the operator about the inventory status through the display device. The processing unit receives data from sensors and generates visual feedback showing which housings contain loads and which are empty, enabling informed decision-making without requiring complex manual inventory management.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a storage rack (26) for droppable loads (32) for an aircraft (10), comprising at least one storage module (42), the storage module (42) comprising a compartment (44) and a drawer (46). The drawer (46) delimits at least two storage housings (60) for droppable loads (32), the housings (60) being arranged successively one after the other in a transverse direction (Y) of the rack, each housing (60) being elongated in a direction of elongation not parallel to the transverse direction (Y). The drawer (46) is movable relative to the compartment (44) in the transverse direction (Y) between a retracted position, in which the drawer (46) is arranged inside the compartment (44), and an extended position, in which the drawer (46) is arranged at least partly outside the compartment (44).